Monday, November 13, 2017

Port Installed. Bionic Woman Status Official. 11-13-17


Rollin' in ready for surgery. 
Surgery to put in the port went well today. No complications. While they had her under anesthesia, they performed two kinds of bone marrow extraction for testing. We should have those results Wednesday.

Tomorrow, we go for lots of different tests--PET scan, CT of her upper body, blood work, heart echo, lung ultrasound, etc. We meet with her team in the afternoon to go over results and make decisions.

As of this second, it appears as though she will check into the hospital Thursday-Sunday for chemo. She will then have a three-week break to recover. Rinse. Repeat.

Warning, the photos aren't for the faint of heart. We are documenting here, not just entertaining. :-)
Made a cancer binder. There are like five million pieces of paper and info to keep up with. I'm fairly intelligent and I'm swimming in data overload.
Random Facts: 
1.) Elise usually watches her weight closely. Like almost obsessively. She's wanted Arby's after every single doctor's visit like she's on the Titanic and it's last call for the dessert tray. I've ordered it for her every time too. Number Six, Medium, with a cherry turnover. She can have two of them if she wants. Amazing how nine days changes your perspective.

2.) Elaina is a boss. Today she took kids to school. Took the dog to school for petting zoo. Helped run a petting zoo with her senior class for the elementary school. Took the siblings and the dog home again. Went back to basketball practice. Brought kids home. Did math homework. Moved laundry. I can't even. Everyone needs a child with a servant's heart in his/her home.

3.) Someone left $100 in an envelope in our mailbox.

4.) Someone also brought us steaks and ground beef. Like enough for the whole fam.

5.) The doctor and nurse said Elise shouldn't eat starch or sugar tonight, but protein. Said that steak and salad would be optimal--something with greens, iron, protein. Wasn't kidding. It's for the PET scan tomorrow. I'm thinking, how I am going to afford that? The rest of my crew is going to be devastated if they have to watch their sister eating steak and salad and they are eating tuna casserole. That sort of thing doesn't breed sibling love. Seriously. (See 3 and 4.) Problem solved by the hands and feet of Jesus People.

6.) I have spectacular videos. You have to be a Fun Bus Member to view. See me later.

7.) Nurses all hugged me on the way out. Surgeon One said, "That kid is so polite. Like unbelievably polite. All of the nurses were going on and on about her." Surgeon Two said, "I can't get over how the nurses and anesthesiology team were enamored of your daughter. Everyone agrees she is like a bright light." Bone Marrow people came from surgery (who didn't have to meet me) just to meet me so they could tell me that Elise was a special young lady. I'm like, someone please check the armband of the kid in recovery. I'm not sure you've got the right one. ;-)

8.) Our new church isn't officially our new church yet and they are already treating us like family. I can't even. It's faith restoring to say the least.

9.) My work is awesome. I ADORE my job--it's not a job. Teaching English is my life work. My passion. My great love. And the people at CCA make it easy to love it. So, so thankful for the love expressed for my family and the ability to care for my baby girl without worrying about my job. Students, I love and miss you and will be back in the classroom as much as possible.

10.) Elise is now the Bionic Woman. Port installed. Let the chemo begin!

#BigEkickingtheBigC

(For those who don't know the "Big E" hashtag reference--when Elise and Elaina were little they couldn't say each other's names so Elise called Elaina "Nay-nuh", and Elaina called Elise "Eeese" or "Eee". We started calling Elise "Big E" because she was so much shorter than Elaina and it irked her.

Before the port installation, no meds. 
After port, meds. 

Close up of port site. It looks like a marble shoved into her skin. 

Post op. Wanted to know when we'd get to have Arby's.

port: side view

port: front view


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